If you ever wanted a The Lord of the Rings game without all that pesky adventure, Tales of the Shire looks like it’s tailor-made for those sensibilities. The first trailer was revealed along with confirmation of specific platforms, showing a Shire full of Hobbits without a care in Middle-earth.
Tales of the Shire comes from publisher Private Division and developer Weta Workshop. When it was first announced it was only listed for consoles and PC, but now we know it’ll be taking its cozy vibes to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Steam. From what we can see so far, it looks like The Hobbit by way of Harvest Moon or Stardew Valley, and that’s definitely going to be someone’s very specific jam.
As the narrator explains, there are plenty of Middle-earth tales full of adventure or bravery, but this isn’t one of them. Instead, Tales of the Shire promises a story of “new beginnings,” which involves everything from exploring the Shire and its lush surroundings to catching fish, strengthening bonds with others, and customizing your own special little Hobbit hole called home. Seasons change, visitors arrive, and parties are thrown, with nary an ounce of peril in the air.
If you’re going to make a game about the Shire, this is pretty much the only way to do it, right? While I’ll have to wait to play it for myself to see if it’s actually any fun, draping The Lord of the Rings lore and locales over a familiar skeleton is a quaint and charming concept. As it stands, it looks like a relaxing outing with a mix of visuals that are colorful and pleasant, and some — particularly the character models — that don’t quite look up to snuff. There’s currently no concrete release date, so this Shire respite is still penciled in for sometime in 2024.
